Northstar Engines and System Technical Discussion Discussion, Drilling and Tapping The Northstar V8......my personal experience so far. in Cadillac Engine Technical Discussion; Any pics would be cool !
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I cleaned the deck surface with lacquer thinner, then the head. I installed the dowels pins. ( The CCC dowel pins need improvement, they'll get the job done but low quality) I then slid the headgasket down onto the block.

The real fun was the head.

Holding the head at the at the front (facing the timing cover) and the rear (facing the transmission), I positioned the head over the studs and checked for their ease into the holes.

The head started to ease it's way down then stopped almost at the bottom. Ironically, I had to give it a few good shoves to make it the rest of the way then it stopped on the dowel pins.

I figured a block of wood and a few strategic taps will would seat the head, I was wrong. I had to get the nuts and washers out and altenate a tightening sequence to seat the heat to the block.

Unless we're drilling with presicion machines and fixtures, there is going to be some room for error. How much depends on the accurracy if the individual involved and their skill level pertaining to these things.

For one, you can never compare the wimpy head bolt to the stud.

The hole drilled for the stud is at least two times larger than the bolt. The thread pitch is what eliminates the pulling out of the aluminum due to the coarse pitch of the stud versus the fine pitch of the bolt. Due to the fact that the "clamping" force is now induced from the nut and washer on the stud versus the bolt alone in the aluminum, rentention of the head should be superior.

There was no beating of the head over anything. I don't like those dowel pins. They'll work and obviously has worked on many cars that CCC has repaired, but personally the construction/ material leaves much to be desired.

If the studs need to be tweaked in any direction, as stated by Northstarperformance and CCC in their instructions the heads ISN'T going to slide on exactly "velvety" smooth. That is because of the human error angle. Therefore if a particular stud has been tweaked then it has the possibility of slowing the sliding of the head into it's final position.

What has to be used in this situation is caution and common sense. You can't just hammer one side down and then move to the other. You have to gently move the head into position as a "unit". Think of it as putting a lid on a coffee can. You have to go around the lid until it is seated on the can.

If you have to use the nuts and washers to alternately get the head into position, so be it. Gently position head onto the deck.

You re still dealing with solid fixtures per se'. The block is a solid fixture, the head is a solid fixture, the stud is a solid fixture. Out of those three, which is going to be the most flexible if needing a tweak to position itself?

Just seems like the tightness of the pins will tale away some of the desired "crush" of the gasket caused by the torque specs, you think putting oil on the threads can change this, seems like a tight pin would as well. I mean depending how tight

I have studded 6 northstar engines with Northstar Performance studs the last 4 with the same new x pattern jig with 0 alignment problems. This is were I think a jig will help a diyer, now this is just me thinking out loud and my experience.

Which head had issues with stud alignment? Seems to me u could put head on and than install studs. Since they only lightly screw into block. I assume u need to push heads down onto alignment dowels. Sort of a loose press fit?